by Rob DeBorde
Joseph hesitated, waiting for his senses to sound the all clear. There was chaos all around them, except directly in front. It was the best they were going to get.
“Let’s go,” he said, and together they ran out into the storm.
* * *
Edmonds pushed Kick over the edge of the platform, which was now barely three feet above the floodwaters. Maddie helped her brother to his feet and then offered a hand to the weatherman. Once they were all safely atop the deserted stage, Edmonds gathered both kids before him.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, but one of them tried to bite me,” Kick said.
“They attacked a man,” Maddie said. “I think they might have killed him.”
“I saw.”
“I don’t understand,” Maddie said. “Why are they hurting people?”
Edmonds shook his head.
“Who are they?”
Edmonds looked over his shoulder. A single zombie struggled through the water near the other side of the street. A little farther down, a pair of creatures bobbed in the water. It was too dark to see what they were after, but Edmonds had an idea.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I was on a rooftop collecting data when I saw the first. I thought he was just a drunk, lost in the storm. But he wasn’t moving right. And then I saw more.”
“More?”
Edmonds nodded. “Dozens.”
Maddie found her brother’s hand and held it tightly.
“They look sick,” Kick said.
“Worse than that,” Maddie said. “One of them didn’t have any eyes.”
“And his face was all cut up and stitched back together, and his chest, too.”
“His chest? How so?”
Kick drew a large Y across his torso.
Edmonds cringed. He’d seen such a pattern before. Before deciding on meteorology, he’d briefly considered a career in medicine. It had taken half of one Human Anatomy class to change his mind. The image that had stuck with him was that of a woman laid out on a large slab and the Y-shaped incision the instructor made in her torso to begin the examination. The fact that she was already dead had not made it any easier to watch.
What Kick’s observation implied about the strange folks currently wandering the streets of Portland terrified Edmonds. He decided not to share this information with the kids.
“Where are your parents?”
Kick pointed across the plaza. “They were in the hotel with everybody else.”
“I heard gunshots,” added Maddie.
Edmonds nodded. He’d seen the creatures flock to the front of the hotel and force their way inside. Several festival booths currently blocked his view of the main entrance, but he could still see numerous zombies milling about the sidewalk.
When the lights in the main hall went out, the collective scream from the people trapped inside was loud enough to be heard above the rain.
“If they’ve got guns, they can protect themselves,” Edmonds said, hoping it was true.
“Do you have a gun?”
“No, but I think we’re safe up here. They don’t seem to climb very well.”
“I don’t think they have to,” Kick said, pointing across the platform.
One of the creatures stumbled off a ramp at the far corner of the stage. It picked itself up and angled toward Edmonds and the twins as two more zombies made it across to the platform.
“Maybe if you talk to them,” Kick said. “You’re an adult. Maybe they’ll listen.”
Edmonds doubted his age would improve his chances at communication but figured it was worth a shot.
“Gentlemen, do you need help?”
One of the creatures moaned. All three stumbled forward more quickly.
“If you’re in need of medical assistance, I’m sure we can locate a proper physician.”
The zombies closed to thirty feet. Kick recognized the female figure with the long, black hair.
“We should leave now,” Maddie said, pulling on Mr. Edmonds’s arm.
“I agree.”
The trio turned back to the street to see two more of the creatures wading toward them through the floodwaters.
“What do we do?”
“Jump,” Edmonds said. “The water will slow them down.”
“It’ll slow us down, too,” Maddie said.
“We can swim,” Kick said. “And they can’t see us if we stay under water.”
Edmonds glanced over his shoulder. The zombies were almost on top of them.
“Get to the other side of the street if you can,” he said. “Go!”
Both kids jumped from the stage. Out of the corner of her eye, Maddie saw Edmonds turn to face their attackers and then she hit the water. She popped up almost immediately, but Mr. Edmonds was gone. From her low vantage point she could see the heads and shoulders of the creatures above the edge of the stage, but not the weatherman.
And then something grabbed her shoulder.
“Maddie, come on,” Kick said, pulling his sister back toward the stage.
“But Mr. Edmonds said the other side of the street…”
“There are too many of them!”
Kick disappeared beneath the water and then popped up a few seconds later on the other side of the scaffolding under the stage.
“Swim under, Maddie. Take my hand.”
Maddie took a deep breath and ducked below the surface. She found her brother’s hand in the dark and let it guide her between the wooden slats that crisscrossed under the platform. When she came up, there was barely a foot of clearance between the bottom of the stage and the rising water.
“I don’t think they can get to us,” Kick said.
“Are you sure?”
Kick pointed to a zombie bumping up against the scaffolding a few yards away. It reached a hand between the slats but progressed no farther.
“They can’t think it through. They’re not very smart. What happened to Mr. Edmonds?”
Maddie shook her head.
Kick wiped the water from his face. His mind raced through the possibilities, but he forced it to stop before his superior visualization skills kicked in.
“Maybe he got past them.”
“Maybe,” Maddie said, then made a quick survey of their surroundings. The stage was built on very slight hill, which meant the water was already touching the bottom of the platform on the other size of the plaza. They’d actually climbed under at the highest point on the street, but if the waters continued to rise at their current pace, their heads would be under water soon.
“The water is still rising,” she said. “We can’t stay here or we’ll run out of room to breathe.”
“We need to find Mom and Dad,” Kick said. “They’re already looking for us.”
“Are you sure?”
“Aren’t you?”
She was. There was no doubt in her mind, and that was a problem.
“They won’t find us if we stay hidden.”
Kick nodded. “And they won’t stop looking, which means they’ll be out there with them.”
Maddie glanced back at the street. There were three zombies at the edge of the structure now, struggling to push through the slats but gaining no ground. One had managed to force its head through an opening but was stuck, its face partially submerged in the water. There was movement beyond the barrier, but in the dark it was difficult to see. Maddie tried to listen, searching for something tangible between the raindrops. What she heard was the low moan of hundreds of wooden slats slowly breaking.
“Oh, no,” Maddie said.
Kick looked at his sister and knew. A moment later, the platform creaked loudly and shifted above their heads, sinking two inches as the support structure began to collapse.
“This way,” Kick said, pushing his sister in the opposite direction of the water flow.
The platform dropped another few inches, forcing the twins beneath the surface. Kick popped up to get his bearings and one last breath. Maddie was up a second later
.
“Take a deep breath,” Kick said.
“Got it,” Maddie said, then took her brother’s hand.
The platform dropped onto the water just as the kids ducked under the surface. Maddie opened her eyes but could see nothing but black. She closed them again and pushed forward until her free hand found the wooden structure still holding the back side of the platform in place. It was leaning toward them but hadn’t yet collapsed. It would soon.
Maddie felt her brother tug on her hand, leading her toward an opening just large enough to navigate. She got both hands on the wood and pulled herself through, only to have her dress catch on the structure. Maddie suddenly became keenly aware of the burning sensation in her chest. How long had she been under? Thirty seconds? A minute? She wouldn’t last much longer. She felt her brother’s hands around her ankles, trying to free her. And then she sensed something else—a body, dropped into the water directly in front of her. Hands were reaching out, trying to find her. She felt her dress tear, she was loose, but it was too late. It had her.
Maddie broke the surface, gasping for air and struggling against the hands that had pulled her to safety.
“Maddie! It’s okay, I got you.”
Maddie opened her eyes to find she was in her father’s grasp. The panic in her chest finally eased and she hugged him.
“Maddie, give me your hand!”
It was her mother, reaching from the partially sunken platform. For a moment, Maddie refused to let go, fearful of what might take hold of her beneath the surface. Then she remembered her brother.
“Kick!” she said, taking her mother’s hand. “He’s still down there.”
But Joseph was already under the water. He was up seconds later, Kick limp in his arms. He brought him to the edge of the stage and handed him over to Kate.
“Behind you!” Maddie screamed.
The zombie closed on Joseph and would have grabbed him around the neck had he not disappeared under the surface. The creature dunked its head briefly into the water but refused to stay submerged. The water had risen almost to shoulder level and it was having trouble staying upright. Finally, it noticed Kate, who at the edge of the platform seemed an easier target. Before it could make a move, the zombie was sucked into the black.
Kate never took her eyes off her son. He’d been unconscious when Joseph handed him over, and now a trickle of blood was running down his forehead. Kate found a small gash in his scalp, and when she touched it, Kick immediately began coughing up water.
Satisfied that her brother was alive, Maddie turned back to the water. It was an agonizing ten seconds before her father burst through the surface.
“Dad!”
Joseph pulled himself onto the stage and into his daughter’s arms. She would not let him go this time.
Joseph looked to his son. “How is he?”
“Hit his head,” Kate said. “Swallowed quite a bit of water, too, but I think he’ll be all right.”
Joseph put a hand on his son’s face. “You’re not a fish, you know?”
Kick blinked several times and smiled weakly.
Joseph pressed his face to Kate’s. A tear rolled from her cheek to his, momentarily warming Joseph’s skin before disappearing among the raindrops.
“We’ll be all right.”
Kate let go of the breath she’d been holding. “Will we?”
Joseph reached out with his senses. The chaos of the hotel had spilled out into the plaza, and though masked by the rain, it was all too clear to Joseph. Locals ran in all directions, and there were at least twenty of the creatures in the immediate vicinity. It was difficult to track the exact number because they made the same noises, offering little to distinguish one from another. They moved in the same lurching manner, made the same disturbing guttural growls, and attacked with the same relentless horror. Twenty at least, most likely more.
“We’ve got the stage to ourselves,” Joseph said. “But I don’t know for how long.”
“Did you see Mr. Edmonds?” Maddie asked. “He helped us.”
Joseph shook his head. There had been a group of zombies on the platform when he and Kate had arrived, but all had tumbled over the edge. If the weatherman had been among them, Joseph hoped he’d escaped … or drowned quickly.
“Maybe he got away,” Maddie said hopefully.
“If so, he had the right idea,” Kate said. “We can’t stay here.”
Joseph didn’t argue. “Most of them are still around the hotel. We need to get out of the plaza and head toward higher ground.”
“They’re slower in the water,” Kick said with some effort.
“So are we,” Kate said. “And I don’t think you’re in any shape to swim.”
“Water’s rising too fast,” Joseph added. “Most of the sidewalks will be swamped soon, so if we don’t go now we’ll all be swimming.”
Right on cue, the platform shifted and abruptly sank six inches, dropping it below the flood line. Water rushed over the stage, forcing the family to their feet. Kick tried to stand but immediately wished he hadn’t. He swayed forward and then back, teetering on the edge of the platform before losing his balance altogether.
“Kick!”
Maddie reached out to her brother, just missing his outstretched fingers as he fell into the water.
Kick had just enough time to register that he was once again under the cold darkness before his father brought him back to the surface. He spit out the water halfway down his throat and fought to stay conscious.
“I got you, son.”
Kick focused on his father’s face. In the low light of the plaza it was all he could see clearly, but it was enough to keep him in the moment.
“I’m okay,” he said between coughs and tightened his grip around his father’s arm.
Joseph turned to Kate and Maddie.
“Let’s go. Everyone in the water.”
Kate bundled up the lower portion of her dress and stepped off the platform. She turned back to help Maddie, who hopped in without prompting.
“Stay close,” Joseph said and turned toward the opposite side of the street.
It was only thirty feet to the boardwalk, but with the water at chest height even Joseph found the crossing difficult.
The family pushed through the floodwaters and would have reached the boardwalk without incident had a section of the nearest wooden crossing not broken free.
“Kate, take Kick!”
Joseph passed off his son and then spun in time to meet the flotsam with outstretched hands. It was heavy, but he held his ground, slowly turning the large chunk of scaffolding away from his family. With his attention stretched thin, Joseph missed the zombie clinging to the opposite side of the wreckage.
“Dad, look out!”
Joseph sensed the creature a moment before its fingers closed around his wrist. It was strong. Joseph jerked back his hand, pulling the determined zombie partially over the broken bridge, which was now slowly dragging him away from his family. A second hand thrust forward, striking Joseph in the face and then latching on to his collar. Joseph gave up trying to slow the wreckage and instead braced his feet against the structure and pushed. His body arched upward, but the creature wouldn’t let go.
The scaffold jolted to a stop as it struck a large chunk of sidewalk jutting out into the flooded street. The zombie’s grip slacked momentarily, giving Joseph an opening. He grabbed the creature’s right hand and broke three of the fingers at the knuckles. The zombie reacted by pulling Joseph even closer with the opposite hand, its mouth ratcheting open and closed as it did.
For a moment, the light from a lantern hanging on a nearby telegraph pole illuminated the creature’s face. This was not one of the pale, sickly beings that had attacked the hall but rather someone Joseph recognized. It was a man from the party, one who’d been attacked in front of Joseph. There were numerous gashes in his neck and face and what were surely teeth marks in his cheek. The front of the man’s shirt was soaked in blood and rainwater.
He had been murdered by the creatures and now he was one of them. It was madness.
Joseph struggled to break free but found no leverage. Sensing victory, the zombie gathered itself and was abruptly shot in the forehead. The creature’s face contorted, its body slackened, and then it fell forward onto the broken bridge. The zombie flinched once and then was silent.
Joseph pushed away from the wreckage and found the marshal standing above him, holding the Hanged Man’s red-handled pistol.
“Damn lucky there’s still one light workin’ in this town,” the marshal said, gesturing to the lantern. “Not sure I make that shot in the dark, not without clippin’ your ear.”
Joseph pulled himself onto the boardwalk just as Kate and the twins caught up. He took his son from Kate and turned to the marshal.
“You take that shot every time, Marshal. Light or no light.”
The marshal nodded.
Kick coughed and dropped his head onto his father’s shoulder. “Can we go home now?”
His son was heavier out of the water, but Joseph barely noticed. Nor did he feel the exhaustion that would likely overwhelm him should he stand still for too long. He sensed only the fear of his family and an absolute need to protect them, regardless of the cost. He tightened his grip on Kick and reached out to Kate and Maddie.
“Stay close.”
* * *
It was a beautiful sound.
It called to him. It sang to him. It begged him to come closer. The Hanged Man had heard it many times before but never so clearly.
Find me, it whispered, use me.
He would, soon.
Henry had heard the distant gunshot as well but sensed nothing special about it. Sporadic gunfire had echoed across the city continually since they’d reached the flooded downtown streets. Most of the action had elicited little response from the Hanged Man, but this most recent report had stopped him in his tracks. More disturbing, it brought a sickening grin to the dead man’s face.
The Hanged Man stepped off the sidewalk into a flooded alley. What little light there was on the street dissipated quickly in the alley and soon the dead man was swallowed up by the darkness.
Henry stood his ground, once more putting his will to the test. He felt his heart beat against the small shape in his breast pocket and wondered—not for the first time—if he didn’t feel it beating back.